


Hurts From the Past

by Angelicat2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Crying Keith (Voltron), Doctor Keith (Voltron), Doctor Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Whump, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Worried Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 07:00:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18425304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: Keith sees someone who haunts his past.





	Hurts From the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I wrote up inspired from a scene I saw on another show.
> 
> Mind the tags.

Keith was bored.

The hospital was experiencing a slow day for the first time in nearly a week. There were few immedient patients who needed to be seen. His friends and co-workers had it under control, forcing both him and Shiro to take a small break and deal with some of the visitors. Just some supposed potential donors they desperately needed to help keep the hospital open and running in the next upcoming years.

Normally, Allura would be the one to see them. She was the more diplomatic, knowing exactly what the donors would say and ask. Her elegance had helped them get quite a few people, and her name certainly helped too. Her father had been a well-known CEO of the Altean Enterprise, selling the high-tech medicines and prosthetics they used on their patients. So now, Allura was head of the company.

However, she was busy with a patient who needed heart surgery.

So it was up to Shiro and Keith to meet with said people.

“What room again?” Keith muttered under his breath, going to the conference hall. The pristine white halls gleamed as he moved from room to room, searching for the right room, “Pidge told me, but I missed it...gotta stop being distracted by Shiro…”

Keith could hear a laugh that he’d know anywhere. Shiro was in the room just two doors past this one, so Keith moved forward with a grin. Rounding the corner of the room, he could finally make out what they were saying.

“So where is this other doctor of yours that we are to meet?” A new voice asked softly, most likely a woman, but Keith couldn’t see them yet as Shiro’s back blocked them, “He sounds like a good one.”

“Oh, Keith is,” Shiro replied, and Keith smiled softly as he walked up behind the other man, “One of the best you’ll ever meet. He truly cares about his patients.”

“You are too,” Keith laughed as Shiro turned to him quickly with a grin, “Shiro is better than me at caring for patients, I mainly diagnose and treat.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Shiro smirked back at him, white floof gently cascading over his grey eyes, “You remember that one kid you calmed down about a month ago. He really liked you.”

“Because I give him a treat afterwards,” Keith rolled his eyes playfully before he looked up at the older, “All kids like snacks.”

“You’re not wrong,” Shiro laughed as he grinned before turning back to the group. Keith finally took a look at them. It was a group of five people, three women and two men. The lead woman had long white hair pulled up in a ponytail, older than almost all the rest. Her golden eyes stared him down, not unkindly but in a curious manner.

“This is Ms. Honerva Galra,” Shiro explained as he waved a hand in her direction, “She was the asking about you.”

“Uh…” Keith nodded as he shook her hand, “Nice to meet you.”

“I would like to speak with you later,” the women stated with a small smile, “I have a proposition I wish to offer.”

Holy...Keith and Shiro exchanged glances. This was the wife of Zarkon Galra, owner of the Galra Empire Enterprises. The woman herself was an accomplished inventor and alchemist, coming up with some of the best medicines that they needed. It could improve their patients’ wellbeing by tenfold.

“Thank you,” Shiro smiled brightly as he placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder, making Keith feel lighter, “We will gladly speak to you after the tour. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, young man,” she cracked a smile, “I’m sure you wish to know who else is part of the group.”

“Oh yeah!” Keith snickered at the childish innocence on his best friend’s face as he pointed to another woman, “That is Hira Hart.”

“Hmmm,” the woman stared at him, unimpressed as she glanced away, obviously bored, “Let’s get on with it. I have stuff I need to be doing.”

Keith glanced at Shiro who shrugged awkwardly.

“That’s Bob Starr,” Keith almost groaned as he forced a smile to his face. The guy was famous for his games that messed with people’s heads and were “entertaining.” Honestly, Keith really didn’t like the man after he had been invited onto the show a year ago. The whole team had been there, and it had turned into a mess really quickly. _Lance thought he had drawn a chicken!_

“I can’t wait to see what you have to show!” He stated in his announcer voice that almost made Keith cringe. It was just as loud as it was onstage.

“Heh…” Keith grimaced sourly, “Can’t wait to show you.”

“And you know Collen,” Shiro smiled as said woman quickly hugged them both, which Keith happily returned after a moment. Everyone on the team knew Pidge’s mom. She was part of the Garrison military base nearby, who sometimes helped fund them. They saw the officers and cadets on a regular basis, not too far away from them if they had an emergency they couldn’t treat on campus. Keith grinned as she pulled back.

“So what have you two been up to?” She asked as looked about, “It feels like forever since I was last here. Sam keeps wanting to come, but he’s been busy.”

“We’ve been good,” Shiro answered as he placed his hand between Keith’s shoulders, “But I’m sure you’ve heard from Pidge of how we are.”

“Sometimes I hardly see that girl of mine,” the woman laughed as she waved them off, “But I know she’s just as busy as her father. Running the Voltron hospital must be no easy feat.”

“Oh, it’s not,” Keith stated as he smiled at Shiro who grinned back, “But it’s worth it. We get to help a lot of people.”

“Good,” she nodded, “I’ll catch up with you boys later after the tour, I must speak with my daughter while I’m here.”

“I’m sure she’ll show you her newest invention,” Shiro snickered softly as he shook his head, “You know how she is. It’s good to see you, Colleen.”

The older woman just grinned at them with her golden eyes practically glowing. Shiro turned to the last person, opening his mouth to speak when Keith took the man in. His heartbeat picked up at the glimpse that he did see. He suddenly felt sick with fear and nausea.

_No. No. No. No. No._

“This is…” The rest was lost in a hazy of static as Keith felt himself tense. He couldn’t breathe correctly as memories flashed through his mind, faster than he could comprehend but just as painful as the real events. He remembered the words that had been whispered in his ears. He could recall the exact moment hands were on his throat, forcing bruises on there until he could no longer breathe, passing out from it. He remembered the feeling of someone holding him down as they took from him as he cried and sobbed, trying to fight his way out of it.

He hadn’t gotten away until he ran away from that place.

Keith did no different here.

He fled out of the room faster than possible, flying past Allura who stood stunned. Throwing open the door to an older closet space, Keith quickly grabbed the nearest bucket, heaving into it. Nothing came up, but he continued as the memories flashed through his mind, making him shake even harder. Something warm - a familair hand - was pressing to his back as he cried. 

\-----

Shiro didn’t know what was wrong.

One minute, Keith was happy, smiling in that way Keith always did around him. That little smirk that made Shiro’s heart throb at its cuteness. The one that made his knees weak and had him thinking he needed to see a doctor of his own. Preferably an ebony-haired beautiful man of a doctor.

But as soon as Keith had seen the other man, he had gone pale as a paper. He hadn’t breathed, breath stuck in his throat as he stared at the donator in paralyzed fear. His dark eyes were wide as Shiro had ever seen them, and he was suddenly shaking and tense, as the older could feel through the hand he had on the other’s back.

It terrified Shiro.

Shiro had never ever seen Keith react this way to anything. Not when one of their patients tried to kill Shiro. Not when Shiro had to burn a large patch on his cheek to conraize a deep wound to his face. Not when one of Keith’s patients had died.

No.

This scared Shiro just as much as Keith was.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And then Keith bolted, turning quickly and fleeing through the door, looking green and ill. Shiro opened his mouth for a moment, concern on his face as he twisted back to the group. 

“I’m sorry, you’ll have to excus-”

“Shiro?” Allura asked from the doorway, as she frowned up at him, “What is going on? What happened to Keith?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro rushed by her, giving her a worried stare which she returned, “But will you…”

“I got them,” she nodded softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder, “Take care of him. Tell him we will help him if we need to.”

“Okay,” Shiro nodded as he took a deep breath in, “Thank you, Allura.”

And then he raced away. He knew exactly where Keith ran off to, and he was proven correct less than a minute later as he sailed around the corner, hearing someone vomiting in the nearest supply closet. Shiro ran up to Keith who was shaking wildly, clinging to a dull bucket and crying after every heave. Even from this far away, the older could tell nothing was coming up.

“Keith,” Shiro frowned as the other clung tighter to the bucket, sobbing harder and curling up on himself, “Keith!”

Shiro placed his hand over the other’s back, feeling him shake more than before. The touch made Keith let out another strange, soul-crushing sound as he shoved his face into his pail. Shiro knew that there was nothing he could do to help - he knew a panic attack when he saw one - so he just sat there with Keith, making sure to keep speaking to him. After what felt like days, Keith stopped heaving, groaning softly into the bucket as some tears fell from his eyes. A small cry left his lips and Shiro pulled the younger to his chest. 

Keith fought him at first, not realizing it was him before all of his energy faded. He slumped into Shiro’s chest, sobbing silently as he grabbed onto the man. Shiro himself felt tears water in his eyes, making everything blurred. They stayed this way for at least twenty minutes, surrounded by the soft clicks of the vents turning on and off.

“Sh-sh’ro?” Keith asked cautiously as he gazed up at him with red eyes, “Sc’red.”

“It’s okay,” Shiro reassured him as he held him tighter, “I’m here. The rest of the team is here. Whatever is wrong can’t get to you.”

“It was him,” Keith breathed out from near his ear after a moment of silence, “He did it.”

“Who did what?” Shiro grew cold, already having an idea of what Keith was going to say.

“The guy...the room…” Keith began to shake again, and Shiro rubbed a hand through his hair, “He…”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“He was a fo-foster parent back when I w-was fourteen,” Keith began as he clung to Shiro’s dark hoodie, “And he said a l-lot of mean th-things to me. And he hurt me. And he...took from me. He r-raped me.”

“Oh, Keith,” Shiro’s blood boiled, but he focused on his best friend who was beginning to calm a bit, “Why is he out on the-”

“Streets?” Keith glanced at him, purple eyes glossy, “Because no one believed me when I told them wh-what happened. I was the one who got in trouble, so I left and ran away. Lived on my own in the desert shack for a year.”

“Oh, Keith,” Shiro felt tears flow down his face. He knew about the shack, had been out there a time or two. But he had assumed Keith had lived out there on his own will, without outside influence on him. To find out that the other had gone out there because he felt no other place was safe enough. That no one had given him a chance. Shiro was pissed.

He was so glad he had found the younger when he was nineteen. He had been the one to persuade the boy to get a medical degree, going into medicine himself. With that, he had taken the younger under his wing, helping him get scholarships and tutoring him. They had both graduated from the same school, only a few years apart.

“He’ll never touch you again,” Shiro promised as he hugged the other closer to his chest, feeling the younger hold him tighter as he nuzzled his face into the older’s neck, “I’ll die before he even gets that chance.”

“Thanks, Shiro,” Keith sniffed as he sighed tiredly, “I don’t want to give the tour.”

“It’s okay,” Shiro placed a kiss to his forehead, “I’ve got you.”

“Cheesy,” Keith teased as he chuckled, “I think I wanna go home.”

“I’ll get you there,” Shiro began to get up, holding the other up, “Just gotta check out.”

“And…” Keith started almost shyly in a way that Shiro only had remembered him to be when he had first met him, “Can you...will you...stay over? I can’t...won’t be able to sleep by myself.”

Shiro nodded as his eyes softened. For Keith, he’d do anything.

“Of course.”


End file.
